The use of steroids is not limited to teenage boys alone, a fact that was highlighted by results of a national survey published in the June issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

It was noted by the survey that use of steroids among girls is not merely restricted to those participating in competitive athletics and seems to be associated with a cluster of other health-harming behaviors, including smoking and taking diet pills.

From Sciencedaily.com:

In 2004, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 7 percent of ninth-grade girls reported ever using anabolic steroids, according to background information in the article. During the 1990s, three national surveys indicated dramatic increases in the prevalence of teen girls using steroids. Previous analyses of female steroid use have focused on older women and found an association with competitive athletics and bodybuilding.

Diane L. Elliot, M.D., of the Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, and colleagues assessed anabolic steroid use among teen girls using a nationally representative sample of U.S. high schools completed in 2003. A total of 7,544 female students in grades nine through 12 completed the survey, which included questions about sports participation as well as steroids, ecstasy use and other illegal or unhealthy behaviors.

A total of 5.3 percent of the participants reported prior or ongoing steroid use. “Participating in team sports was negatively related to anabolic steroid use, such that those who were members of sports teams were less likely to self-report prior or ongoing anabolic steroid use,” the authors write.

It was concluded by the authors that the findings suggest important associations among girls who use steroids.